Method of manufacturing cartridge-shells.



' ing a closed-end tube b LESLIE Ef noonEn, or PAWTUCKET, 'RHODE ISLAND.

METHOD 0F MNUFOTURING CARTRIDGE-SEMS.

i specification nineteen patent.

Patented May 25, 1909.

Application sled september 17,1908. semi No. 453,4'1e.

T6 all whom it may concern:

` Be it known that I, LESLIE E.` HOOKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pawtucket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Making Cartridge-Shells, of which the following is a speciication.

My invention consists in an improved method of making tubes, especially for use in the manufacture of cartridge shells, in which the o erations of drawing and extruding the meta are combinedhin such a manner as to produce a cartridge shell both of better qual- 1ty and at less cost than has been heretofore possible.

According to the method disclosed inthe patent granted to George W. Lee, June 5th, 1906, No. 822,285, a lanchet of metal is cut from sheet stock, an placed in a die of the same diameter as the pla'nchet. A plunger, 4

having a short former projecting centrally therefrom, is then brought down upon the planchet, and the former penetrates the metal at the center of the planchet, the result of which is to cause the outer )o1-tions of the same to rise in the dieso as -to orma cup. Then, the bottom surface of the lungcr proper s ucezes the metal inward y and downwarf ly around said former, thus formthe process of extrusion. ln practice, I nd that the method disclosed 1n said patent, while suitable for some tubes where great strength iis not required, is not adapted to the manufacture oi tubes for modern militar cartridges, as it the top of the metal, whereby the structure o does not produce shells o requisite strength to enable them to be reloaded a number oi' times and still withstand the very high pressures required. The reason for this'fact I have ascertained to be that', when starting with a flat disk, the first action of the plunger is to crush and separate the grain of the the same is injured. When a disk is cut out oi sheet stock, it may be considered as'having lthe grain of the metal as running in one direction across the same, and when the punch forces down the center of such a disk it acts, partially at least, to shear the metal across to the grain, leaving the grain running parallel to wall, instead of longitudinally of the wall. Furthermore,` in the ordinary method of drawing closed-end tubes, by which method cartridge cases are usually 'A made,'the planchet is-cupped gradually and is reduced in diameter at the same time that the tube. is elongated. By this method, the

end of the'shell, which eventually becomes the head of the cartridge case, is more or less strained 'at its intersection with the walls during each step of the operation and each successive reduction in the diameter' of the cup bends the metal upwardl at practically a ri ht an le, and wherever t iis bend occurs in t e wal ofthe finished shell there must necessarily be such a weakeniiw of the metal, as will eventualiD under the strain of expansion and contraction, experiencedin repeated firing of reloaded cartri( ge cases, cause the shell to rupture. If a shell is reduced from the planchet in five (5) draws, there must necessarily be four (4) zones of weakness occurrinilr at more or less.

regular intervals and 'extending transversely around the shell.

lhave discovered that these objections can be obviat'ed and a 'shell of the requisite strength be made by extrusion by preliminarily forming a cu of the metal by drawing 1t up from a isk of larger diameter. The grain of the metal in this cup runs longitudinally 'of the wall, and when such cup is placed in the die and the plunger is brought down into it, the metal starts to low downwardly into the die in a direction longitudinally of'the grain, the metal in the bottom of the cu l being simply forced down into the die wit rout being strained, the impact of the former at the beginning of the stroke being simpl for the purpose of preventinur the meta from flowing inwardly underneath the former. By this method it will be seen that there is a straight ilow of metal with the grain of the sheet from the beginning to the end of the stroke, thereby producirw a shell of v,uniform texturev throughout. method, the zones of weakness which necessarily occur in the ordinary method of making closed-end tubes are entireliyr eliminated, the metalbeing of uniform rain om the head of the shell to the mouth t ereof.. This is of in the grain y this great importance in cartridge making, and

*shell is often extracted with a good deal v of diiliculty, even where proper appliances are provided.

Experience has proven that the military cartridges produce by my method do not down, the bottom of the former 9, striking vere tests by repeated reloading, and owin to the uniformity of grain, the weight o metal in each cartrid e case may, if desired, be materially reduce 'lhe steps of the new method are illustrated `in th'e accompanying .drawing in which: Fi re 1 shows in elevation andA plan the blan as it is cut from-the sheet; Fi 2shows the punch and die vfor cu ping t e blank;

A Fi 3 shows the'cup forme( therefrom; Fig.

4 s ows the die and punch by which the tube is extruded, and Fi 5 showsthe same operation of extru ing the shell.

stock. If of hard metal, such Aas brass, it is thon annealed, whereupon it is formed into the cup 2 by means of the die 3 and plunger.

4, its edges being turned upwardly around the plun er. The cup2thus abl of t e same inside diameter as the shell tom of substantiall the same thickness as the stock; the cup 1s then placed in the extruding d1e, which consists of a steel block 5. havin a straight aperture therethrough, and a har ened bushing 6, the inside diameter of which is equal-to t shell, and which is forcedinto the block v 5 l and supported by the hardened plug 7. J'lhe plunger 8, having the central former 9, which 'I 1s of the diameter of the shell to be formed and fits within the cup, isl then brought the bottom of the cup at the same time as the bottom of the plunger 8l strikes the top of the wall of the cup. he first effect is to cause the metal of the wall ofthe cup to expandso as to tightly fill the annular space between theformer and' the die. The metal isthen forced to flow down into the die around the former, the thrust coming upon the end ofthe grain of the metal instead of transversely thereto. By looking at Fig. 5, it will be seen that the metal, in flowing downwardly, does 'not have to make any sharp turns. The

inthe ormed is prefere outside diameter ofthe foruse in the manufacture of cartridge lshells whim ms 'in femme a cup from sheet stock, annealing. ha

same, placing said cupI in anextruding die of the same ydiameter and 1. The melma of making amd and tubes f extruding the metal thereof by means of a'y lunger of the same diameter as said die fand aving a central former as the inside of the cup.-

a planchet from sheet stock, annealing an by turning its edges upwardly so as to" form havingthe internal diametero'f the 'u placingsaid cu inan erry rudin lthe' me al thereof a cup shell to be formed, truding die and ex l by means of a lunger o '-.the same diameter as said die and aving aicentral former ofthe same diameter as the inside 3. The method .of making foil'icilsle in the manufacture of cartridge shells, w 1

smaller external diameter than said plane iet, and elongating the 'same to form atube by simultaneously applying lpressure .on the top of the wall thereo an 4; The method yof making'c'losed end tubes u for use in the manufacture of cartridge shells, which consists-in cup ing ablank by turning its edges u wardly, p and extru ing the metal t ereof'to forman elongated, closed-endtube by sure to the top of the wall. of sai cupand causing the same to flow down and around a former havin the vdiameter ofthe inside of l the shell to be ormed. y I l In testimony whereof'l have afiixed my.

signature', in presence of two witnesses..

Bam J. Famine, 1 "Manuf-Namen.

ofthe same diameter 2. The method of making closed en d tubes .for use in the manufacture of cartridge shells, 1 f j which consists in cuttingA The planchet 1 is cut out from sheet Zf the cu closed end) tubes uniting the How of the metal toward the center.

clipping the me l r consists in cuttinggla planchetfromf/ sheet stock-, forming the same .into a cu of isol acmglsaid cup in a die, v f

8b appl ing pres- 

